Korean team tests 15N nitrous oxide-ethane spacecraft thruster

(SpaceEnergy) South Korean researchers have hot-fire tested a 15N-class spacecraft thruster using nitrous oxide and ethane in both premixed and conventional bipropellant configurations.

The work was conducted by Hanbat National University with researchers from propulsion and launch company Perigee Aerospace. The team designed a 5N-15N thruster and tested premixed and non-premixed injectors under identical chamber and propellant-flow conditions.

Nitrous oxide was used as the oxidiser and ethane as the fuel. The researchers selected ethane because of its 39bar vapour pressure at 298K and thermal stability.

The study compares ignition behaviour and propulsion performance between the two configurations. In the premixed architecture, nitrous oxide and fuel can be stored as a Nitrous Oxide Fuel Blend (NOFB), allowing a single-tank system similar to a monopropellant architecture.

The researchers said premixed systems can simplify propulsion architecture but require dedicated flashback-prevention measures because of the propellant mixture’s susceptibility to flame propagation upstream.

The paper was made available through the Small Satellite Conference repository on 22 August and presented as part of the conference programme in Salt Lake City, Utah.